Local Option Bierwerker

Client Brewer in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Local Option

Established in 2010

Contact
1102 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Description
Local Option Bierwerker is the brewing division of The Local Option, a pub in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Owner Tony Russomanno has established himself in the craft beer community through years of experience, and today he partners with six different breweries to create all of Local Option's diverse and innovative beers. Local Option Bierweker believes partnering with different breweries gives them maximum flexibility, allowing them to brew as large or as limited a batch as needed. They’ve taken up recipes long forgotten by the mainstream, such as the Kentucky Common, and perfected well-established favorites, like their steam beer Dampf Loc. Local Option Bierwerker offers a brash, in-your-face approach to craft beer; they brew with bravado and aren’t afraid of a little well-placed irreverence while still respecting the long-standing traditions that provide the foundation for their heavy metal brews.

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7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Blood of Kings has a hugely dank resinous sticky hop bouquet. The taste is surprising with licorice and other dark malt flavors added to the hops though the beer is a deep copper. A mindfuck kind of genre bending beer - try it at least once.

Tried on 04 Sep 2014 at 17:23


7.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Local option Sweet Leif made with Chinese sencha has a big wheat earthy cloves & sencha aroma on a copper pour the body is med-light a bit rough but quite appetizing with great spice and sencha flavor. Intriguingly original.

Tried on 04 Sep 2014 at 17:18


7.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Half liter bottle courtesy of a friend. Thanks Mika! Pours a hazy rust color with a large foamy tan head. Good head retention. Aroma of wheat, bread, rye, toast, dark fruit. The taste is bread crusts, rye, caramel, spice, faint dried fruits. Medium bodied, dry, moderate carbonation, slight lingering bitterness. Solid.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Aug 2014 at 20:18


7.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draft at Salud. Clear gold. Aroma of dusty and funky straw. Taste is bitter straw on a background of white wine and vanilla. Nice.

Tried from Draft on 23 Aug 2014 at 09:53


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Poured straight into the glass to kick up some foam and get a good whiff. Indeed bready smell with a bit of plum and herb. Nose carries some alcohol for a "regular strength" beer. Hazy body is more amber than red, under a big, puffy and lacy head.Taste matches the nose, includes a sharp bitterness like sucking on a tea bag. Enjoyable enough in toto, and the extra nose of alcohol also turns the beer into a sticky coating on my lips. But you need to be in the mood for something that’s not what the big boys call "drinkable."

Tried on 08 Aug 2014 at 21:59


6.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Hazy orange - thick frothy lace - nose of dusty and doughy yeast, lightly sour.acidity, baked apples, brown sugar, hazelnut - flavor is kind of dull - some flat, neutral yeast at first - then some apple, bread dough, toasty grain character - finish has some peanut skin and some raisin, followed by some clove and dark bread - meh, okay.

Tried on 08 Aug 2014 at 20:46


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

I have consumed this a couple times while I lived in Chicago the past year. Finally bought a 500mL just to rate it at the very end of my time. Generally, this beer has an acceptable level of sulpheric aroma and herbal lager. Flavor is strong white malt with similar herbal and sulphur finish. Its a light too thick in flavor, not light and bright as I would like. However, I am not disappointed when I drink this.

Tried on 07 Aug 2014 at 15:37


7.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

500ml bottle. Murky unfiltered orange hued amber-brown. Steady beige head. Really sublime and well done. Smooth and easy drinking, on the lighter side of full bodied. I’m not a fan of amber malt in general, but they do a really job of balancing it out. Toffee, caramel, red wheat, cherrywood. Solid.

Tried from Bottle on 06 Aug 2014 at 21:48


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Extremely well done if this is the style we’re putting this in. The barrel is done just right, and just enough coffee to give a hint. This actually reminds me more of an altbier in the overall feel. Pours slightly cloudy orange with good head and lacing. Tap at Black Squirrel.

Tried from Draft on 03 Aug 2014 at 19:31


7.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

500ml bottle. Filtered-looking orange body, but a little haze so who knows. Steady, solid, creamy off-white head. Bready, mild aroma, some earthy noble hop. A pretty tasty Heller Bock. Comes off a little fruitier, in an ale way, than I’d expect from the style. Still has quite a nice amount depth. More boldly hopped than most European examples. I’m a sucker for interesting German styles and variations, so this works for me.

Tried from Bottle on 01 Aug 2014 at 15:52